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  What it means

  Literally “to kiss the door handle,” this humorous idiom describes the frustration of showing up somewhere only to find it closed. It implies that the door handle was the only thing you got to “interact” with because the person wasn’t home or the shop was shut. Poles use it often when they’ve made a long trip only to find an office closed for a lunch break.

  Vocabulary

  • pocałować — to kiss (perfective)
  • klamka — door handle
  • zamknięte — closed

  Grammar note

  The verb 'pocałować' is in the perfective aspect, emphasizing the single, unsuccessful event. 'Klamkę' is the accusative singular form of the feminine noun 'klamka'.

  Cultural context

  This is a very popular idiom in Poland, used even in semi-formal situations to explain why a task wasn't completed. It is similar to the English phrase "to find the door locked."

  Intermediate

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